CDOT mobile app continues to improve

Monday

Oct 21, 2013 at 5:00 PM

Colorado Department of Transportation and its partner The Hub Companies LLC, the organization responsible for the development of the CDOT Mobile smartphone application, mark the first anniversary of CDOT Mobile.

Colorado Department of Transportation and its partner The Hub Companies LLC, the organization responsible for the development of the CDOT Mobile smartphone application, mark the first anniversary of CDOT Mobile.

Launched last October, with the I-70 Interface, CDOT Mobile provides detailed information about the I-70 corridor including road conditions, road closures, construction activities and feeds from CDOT’s closed circuit television cameras. It allows travelers to select and save their “favorite destinations” providing them with ready access to travel times.

In just one-year CDOT Mobile has added:

• Map of the entire state of Colorado – which includes layers for cameras, road signs and road conditions. Users can “move” from one part of the state to the other on the app simply by placing their finger on the map and dragging it or adjusting the zoom levels.

• I-25 Interface – includes a large portion of the I-25 corridor thereby enabling users - particularly commuters - to take advantage of the real-time information. Similar to the I-70 interface, the I-25 interface provides motorists with speeds, road conditions, road closures, construction activities and feeds from CDOT’s closed circuit television cameras for the I-25 corridor between Colorado Springs to the south and E-470 to the north (past 120th Avenue). It also will allow travelers to select and save their “favorite exits” providing them with ready access to travel information for their regular commuting route.

• I-70 Coalition Partnership - brings together the best of CDOT’s real-time traffic information with the I-70 Coalition’s congestion-avoidance strategies. It includes I-70 travel forecasts and travel tips, so that users may determine the optimum time to travel on I-70. In addition, the app features Peak Time Deals offered by local businesses to encourage mountain travelers to avoid high volume travel times.

• Push Notifications – designed to inform users quickly about significant issues that may impact their travels in the state. The notification concisely states the location and nature of the travel issue so that users of CDOT Mobile are able to understand the problem and make a more informed travel decision.

The next phase of app development slated for 2014 shall focus on other major highways throughout the Denver metro area. The urHub development team also will continue to make improvements to the I-70 and I-25 interfaces. According to Ryan Rice, CDOT’s director of operations, “With more than 186,000 users the app is clearly popular (66 percent of the smartphone apps in market have less than 1,000 users) and more importantly, serves the need of our state. With the recent floods, CDOT Mobile proved to be extremely important for the residents as a real-time travel tool that provided specific data regarding road closures as well as other important information when our residents and travelers needed it most. Additionally, the traveling public should know that CDOT Mobile is constantly evolving. Our urHub partners will continue to develop and enhance the app based upon the data available and the needs of Colorado travelers.”

CDOT Mobile is part of a five-year, public-private partnership with the Colorado-based The Hub Companies. The Hub Companies was selected as part of a competitive process conducted by CDOT to expand its critical traveler-related highway data. It is an integral part of CDOT’s suite of “Tools for Travelers” which includes www.cotrip.org as well as the federally mandated 5-1-1 interactive voice response system.